Automatic fountain waterer



Jan. 26, 1937.

C. E. HANNY AUTOMATIC FOUNTAIN WATERER Filed 001;. 14, 1933 2 Sheets-Shee t l Jan; 26, 1937. c. E. HANNY AUTOMATIC FOUNTAIN WATERER Filed Oct. 14, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INSULATION INSULATION INVENTOR CHARLES E HANN Patented Jan. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,068,981 AUTOMATIC FOUNTAIN WATERER Charles E. Hanny, Plainville, Conn., assignor to The Trumbull Electric Manufacturing Com- D ny, Plainville, Conn.

nccticut a corporation of Con- Application October 14, 1933, Serial No. 693,536

g 3 Claims. (01.119-73) My invention relates to sanitary drinking fountains intended primarily .for poultry or for small animals.

One object is to provide a drinking fountain having a supply tank seated in a drinking pan and an electrically operated automatic heater unit in the drinking pan, the supply tank, the drinking pan and the heater unit being so positioned with respect to each other that the heated water in the drinking pan and the heater unit will co-operate to warm the water in the supply tank to prevent freezing of the same in the eventor" excessively low temperature.

Another object is to provide a construction of this character in which the supply tank may be readily filled and in which the parts may be readily disassembled for the cleaning oi the supply tanl-t, the drinking pan, the heater unit and other correlated parts.

Fig. l is a plan view of .a construction embodying' my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view and partial section showing the valve controlled outlet.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus taken at right angles to the view of Fig. 2' and showing a heater in the pan.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged section of the lower left hand end of the tank otFlg. 2 showing the valved outlet.

Fig. 5 is a plan view and partial section of the electric heating device.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the same.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view on the. plane of the line l! of Fig. 5.

Fig-8 is a bottom plan view of the thermostatic device.

The pan in may be of any suitable construction and size. The auxiliary reservoir or tank It is adapted to be supported by a number of legs I2 in the pan. The tank is provided .with an outlet member l3 having an inlet H at the upper end and an outlet I5 at its lower end.. -A rod l5 has its lower end shaped to fit the inlet H so that when the rod is permitted to fall by gravity it will close the passage through the outlet member. A'lever l'l ,is-hinged at II to a bracket l9 which projects from the inside upper edge of the tank. One end of this lever is hinged at 20 to the valve rod and the other end 2| projects into a position to be engaged'by a portion of the cover member 22 when thecover is in position. This cover member has a sleeve portion "which may be integral with the cover or may be secured to it in any suitable manner. This sleeve portion loosely'surrounds the tank and has its lower edge 24 long enough to extend into the water in the pan below the outlet I5.

When the cover is in position the valve rod i6 'is raised and a limited amount of water is allowed to flow from the tank into the pan. Atmospheric pressure maintains the water level in the pan sub stantially constant.

For controlling the minimum temperature of the water in the drinking pan I provide an electric heating device 25. This heating device includes a resistance wire 26 wound on an insulating support 21 and enclosed in a casing formed of two parts having their edges 28 clamped to-' gather or otherwise connected so as to hermetically seal all of the electrical parts inside.

The two parts of the casing closely embrace the heater coil but are electrically insulated from the coil by sheets of mica 28 and lit, or other suitable insulating material. The two parts of the casing are provided with projections 3i and 32, respectively, which form between them an air chamber for enclosing the thermostatic switch. The lower part of the casing is also provided with a boss 33 which with the boss 36 forms feet for supporting the heater in the pan and for forming an open space between the heater unit and the pan.

The thermostatic switch may he of any suit- Y able construction, preferably such as shown in Patent No. 1,928,484 dated September 26, 1933.

This thermostatic switchis preferably constructed asa unit adapted to be housed in the pocket or chamber in the heater casing and has an insulating base 34 with circuit terminals 35 and 38. The terminal 35 is connected to the stationary switch contact 31. The terminal 3t is connected to the bar 38 which carries the thermostatic arm 39. The toggle member which is under pressure or the spring ll carries the movable switch contact 42. The thermostatic arm and switch contacts are so designed as to normally maintain the circuit in an open or all condition but are arranged so that when the temperature decreases to a predetermined degree the thermostatic arm will bend or warp with a snap action and close the circuit. When the circult is closed the heater element will function r and will continue its heating efiect until the temperature of the water in the drinking pan has beenEin'creased to a predetermined high de- Bree at which time the thermostatic switch will snap to the 03" position and thus cut out the heater circuit. The conductors leading to the heater are protected by a tube 43 which is secured to the casing and forms a handle for convenience in inserting and removing the heater from its position in the water pan.

This heater being positioned within the water pan and below its edge is, of course; entirely immersed in and surrounded by the water and thus evenly heats and prevents the water from becoming cooler than the predetermined degree. While it is not necessary to maintain. the entire body of water at the temperature of the drinking surface, it is most desirable to prevent any part of the water in the tank or pan from freezing and the construction shown and described has this advantage. Even, however, if in extremely low tem peratures the top of the water in the tank should freeze, the lower part of the ice would still be in contact with the heated water and directly in line with the heat conducted from the heater unit and freezing of the entire supply of water in the pan or trough would thus be prevented. Naturally the heater would be adjusted so that under any normal conditions the full tank would not freeze.

This construction and arrangement maintains a suitable or drinkable temperature of the drinking water unitil it is substantially exhausted. The heater being flat and thin maintains its heater function until the water in the pan is practically to the cooling efl'ect of the water but, because of the air space, thermostatic action does not operate the switch to shut off the current until the water has become sufliciently warm.

A particular advantage of the heater unit is that the portion of it which encloses the resistance or heater element is adapted to be immersed in approximately the central portion of the body of water in the drinking pan and thus maintains the entire body of water in the pan at substantially the same temperature.

The exact shape of the heater unit is not vital to the invention but the very thin or pan-cake like character is important as it conducts heat directly to the water with a maximum of speed and efficiency.

I claim:

-1. A watering device including a lower pen, a tank closed at the bottom and supported in the pan above the bottom thereof with a shallow water space between the bottom of the pan and the bottom of the tank, said tank having an outlet member for feeding water to the pan so that the water therein is normally in contact with the tank bottom, and a thermostatically controlled electric heating device and switch unit located in the pan in the water space beneath the tank.

2. A watering device including a lower pen, a tank closed at the bottom and demountably supported within said pan in spaced relation thereto '50 that a shallow water space exists between the bottom of the pan and the bottom of the tank. said tank having an outlet member for feeding water to said pan so that the water therein is normally in contact with the tank bottom, and an electric heating element removably located in the pan in the water space beneath the tank.

3. A watering device including a. lower pan, a tank closed at the bottom and demountably supported within said pan in spaced relation thereto so that a shallow water space exists between the bottom of the pan and the bottom of the tank,

said tank having an outlet member for feeding.

water to said pan so that the water therein is normally in contact with the tank bottom,'and an electric heating element removably located in the pan in the water space beneath the tank and spaced from both the pan bottom and the tankbottom.

CHARLES E. HANNY. 

